


Bidding Time

by makos_lightningrod



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-02 18:32:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2822048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makos_lightningrod/pseuds/makos_lightningrod
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Surrounding her is idle chatter and any other time, she would enoy the quiet buzz of conversation. But as she pulls her sleeve away from her wrist and observes the time, the chatter seems to grow louder and almost becomes a nuisance to her. Forty-five minutes. She has no idea why she’s sitting there so long. Smiling as the waiter makes his way around her table three times to ask if she would like to order anything. And she shakes her head no, saying that she’s still waiting. </p><p>Waiting for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bidding Time

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: For Kainora Week, Day 3 - Mistake

Surrounding her is idle chatter and any other time, she would enoy the quiet buzz of conversation. But as she pulls her sleeve away from her wrist and observes the time, the chatter seems to grow louder and almost becomes a nuisance to her. Forty-five minutes. She has no idea why she’s sitting there so long. Smiling as the waiter makes his way around her table three times to ask if she would like to order anything. And she shakes her head no, saying that she’s still waiting. 

Waiting for him.

Kai’s running late, and he knows he should hurry, but Jinora is always so patient, so understanding, that he doesn’t. He’s still trying to master an airbending technique, knowing that Jinora would be proud that he’s so dedicated to his training. She’s always encouraging him to try his hardest.

She wouldn’t have minded if this was any other night. Or if this was his first transgression at keeping her waiting. Instead, it’s their fourth time that he hasn’t come on time and she begins to realize that she’s not going to have a date night as she planned. 

She sighs and brushes her hair back before calling over the waiter. She gives him a small smile, knowing he probably pities her, but she brushes that aside. She orders food for herself and sips the plum wine chilled in front of her.

It’s close to an hour and a half later that he arrives, windblown and grinning, bashful and cute. He knows she’ll forgive him, and that’s probably why he doesn’t take care with the time as he should. His girlfriend is as patient as a saint, and she never seems to get angry at him.

"Hi, Jinora, I’m sorry," he throws himself into the chair, and it takes him a moment to notice that she’s already halfway through her dinner.

She stiffens when he plants himself into the chair across from her and says nothing. She finishes swallowing the dumpling in her mouth and her lips set in a thin line. “You must be sorry,” she says faintly, looking back at her plate and continuing as if he has simply made himself known to her as a passerby friend.

She never starts dinner without him, even that time he was almost two hours late. So he knows that somehow he has gotten himself into trouble. “Jinora, I’m really sorry. Really. I was trying to master that move you taught me yesterday.”

He’s hoping that the mention of their time spent yesterday with her acting the stern teacher and him the doe-eyed student would soften her a bit.

“That’s great,” she says but her voice hides no indication that she’s swelling in pride. She finishes with a few more bites even though she’s still hungry. She just wants him to see that she’s very willing to finish the meal just as she is willing to start it without him. “Congratulations,” she murmurs, pulling out a few yuans and placing them on the table just as the check comes.

He waves the check away with a sigh, leaning in close to stop her from letting the yuans leave her hand. “Jinora, please, I”m sorry…” He raised his eyes up to meet hers. “I know I’m late, let me make it up to you.”

“I appreciate it, but no thank you, Kai.” Jinora says his name like that. It’s the voice she uses on her father when she knows he’s gone so far. And it’s the voice she uses on Kai when it’s clear that her forgiveness is something earned and not given. She tries not to let his charm get to her or break her resolve. Several times had he stolen away her breath with his kisses and let his embrace melt away any anger of hers, but not tonight. Tonight was important. To one of them at least.

As the waiter comes by, she gives him the money and stands up, pulling her jacket on and moving away from the table. She goes on her way out, grabbing a sweet milk candy on the way out to comfort her and somewhat mend her wounded pride.

Kai doesn’t give up, even though every part of him says that it’s useless to try. His own pride wars to win out, to just let her go because he doesn’t just run after some girl.

But that girl is Jinora, and he can’t imagine her being mad at him. She knows that she can hold a grudge, and the silent treatment would kill him.

"Jinora, wait!" He catches up, his fingers twisting in the fabric of her jacket to stop her. "Please, can’t we…I’ll do anything…"

She pulls her arm away and turns to look at him with a look in her eyes that says she’s angry and hurt and frustrated. While she doesn’t want to know the answer to the question, she can’t help but ask, “Do you even know what today was?” Her eyes meets his steadily and she waits to be disappointed.

"Today?" He says, not really connecting things in his mind. He just knows that there’s a correct answer, and he can’t think of it for the life of him. "Of course I know what today is!"

His mind races, picking up and discarding options. Birthdays fly by, anniversaries? No, that doesn’t make any sense. He’s certain their anniversary is in a few weeks, not today.

She looks at him, much disbelief on her face. “And what is today?” She asks, walking up to him and staring at him with determination to have him prove her right. 

Jinora’s not stupid. She knows when a plan is about to undoubtedly unravel.

She looks at him, much disbelief on her face. “And what is today?” She asks, walking up to him and staring at him with determination to have him prove her right. 

Jinora’s not stupid. She knows when a plan is about to undoubtedly unravel.

"Come on, Jinora, I can’t believe you think I’ve forgotten!" He says, trying to turn it around when he knows that he either never knew what the day was or he really did forget. "Do you think so poorly of me?"

Jinora stands there for a moment longer before her shoulders fall away from their anger to be replaced by disappointment. “No, I could never think poorly of you,” she says honestly before pressing her lips together. “But I know that this night wasn’t important to you like it was to me.” 

It’s then that she turns away and begins on a walk down to the bay where she has her glider stored so that she can return to the island.

Jinora stands there for a moment longer before her shoulders fall away from their anger to be replaced by disappointment. “No, I could never think poorly of you,” she says honestly before pressing her lips together. “But I know that this night wasn’t important to you like it was to me.” 

It’s then that she turns away and begins on a walk down to the bay where she has her glider stored so that she can return to the island.

Kai can’t let her just leave like that because even if he can’t remember what tonight was supposed to be, she cares about it. He runs after her, not letting her get far before he pulls her into his arms. He’s crushing her against his chest, his breathing ragged as he holds her. “Jinora, you’re important to me.”

She struggles in his arms to get away from him because she knows if he holds her any longer, she will be a mess. “If I was important to you, you wouldn’t have left me waiting at dinner.” She knows it’s juvenile of her to be so upset about him being late and her caring so much about today, but she thinks she has some liberty to be upset. “Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to sit there and just stare at an empty chair all night?” She asks, using a gust of air to propel her up and out of his arms so that she’s a few feet away from him. “You have no idea what tonight was.”

"I know," he admits finally, his shoulders dropping in defeat as he can’t look at her now. "Jinora, I’m sorry, really, I just-I was dumb. An idiot. You’re important to me, but I made a…mistake." Kai can’t look at her now, knowing that the hurt in her eyes will kill him.

She gazes at him and sighs. “Kai…I think…I think we should take a break from this….us being us,” she whispers, rubbing her elbow. She drops her eyes from his and clears her throat. “At least for now.”

"No, no, you don’t mean that," He shakes his head as he swallows, taking a step closer to her. "Jinora, I don’t want to go on a break."

“I know that you don’t want to go on a break. But I think I do.” It’s then that she realizes just how long the two of them have known each other - how many days, weeks, months they spent together when they were growing up. “I need to just…I need to know if we’re better as friends than…what this is.”

"No, no, that isn’t…you know that isn’t true," he says as he steps closer to her, reaching out a hand as if she might relent and say she’s just joking. Ha.

He knows deep inside that she isn’t, and he’s royally messed their relationship up.

And she knows that he knows it’s true, but confusing for her. She doesn’t know where they stand and she has no idea how she feels for him. “I’m sorry,” she whispers softly. “I just need to know for myself.” It’s ironic that she’s the one apologizing, but she can’t help but brush her lips across his cheek.

It isn’t until she taps her glider and takes off - her body flying low to the water that she feels her eyes sting.

He just stands there, watching her go. The wind tugs his clothes this way and that, as if even the air knows he shouldn’t be allowed to follow after her and ruin even their friendship.


End file.
